Quidditch: Gryffindor Vs Hufflepuff
by Frantic Jumping Bean
Summary: Harry's first Quidditch game – in the Marauders Era. Fem!Harry. Time Travel. MWPP Era.
1. Chapter 1 – Breakfast

**Quidditch: Gryffindor Vs. Hufflepuff**

**By Frantic Jumping Bean**

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**Summary: **Harry's first Quidditch game – in the Marauders Era. Fem!Harry. Time Travel. MWPP Era.

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**Disclaimer: **I don't own the Harry Potter universe. J. K. Rowling does. I just like to play pretend with her characters and write about it. I promise to return them safely…maybe.

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**Authors Note: **So I've decided to skip the part where Ria goes for the Try-outs and blows everyone's mind-off with her skills and where a victory dancing James Potter picks her as Seeker. Cause we know she'll be awesome.

Fast-forward to the morning of the match aaand here we are!

BECAUSE QUIDDITCH!

PS: This fic. is not Beta-read, so consider yourselves warned. If you find any mistakes, feel free to inform me and I'll fix it.

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**Chapter 1 – Breakfast**

**In which Ria insists she's not hungry.**

"You've _got _to eat something!" Lily exclaimed for the third time. To Ria's right, Alice nodded her agreement and brought a piece of chicken sandwich to Ria's mouth, which she quickly batted away.

"Ria!" Lily huffed, exasperated.

"Superglue."

"Huh?" Alice looked confused at the term while Lily just blinked at the non-sequitur.

"What about 'Superglue'," Lily asked, suspiciously.

"Do you have Superglue?" Ria clarified. Lily's eyebrows rose.

"Uh… no I don't sorry; but I think Barnes from Ravenclaw does," Lily said unsurely, before glaring at Ria. "And don't try to change the subject. Eat and I'll ask Barnes if he has Superglue for you to use."

Ria sighed. The two would pause whenever someone would come over to wish her luck and when they would leave, Lily and Alice would immediately go back to bugging her to eat her breakfast.

James and Sirius, both in Quidditch uniforms like hers, dropped on the seat opposite to her, followed by Remus and Wor- Peter.

"Potter...!" Lily began irritated, but James cut her off.

"Hey Lily! Just here to check on my Seeker. You won't mind if I have my breakfast here while I encourage her, would you?" he asked her innocently.

Ria chuckled mentally, 'smooth one Dad!'

Lily, on the other hand, just grumbled, "If you're so concerned about Ria then get her to eat some food."

All four pairs of eyes turned to her and she resisted the urge to bash her head to the table like Dobby.

"Um, Ria, serious advice here; you should eat something if you want to keep your strength and get the Snitch at the same time. Otherwise, you'll end up pummelled to the ground," Sirius said which was followed by the sound of a rather loud smack to his head, courtesy of Remus.

"Is that so?" Ria asked coolly, arching her eyebrows. She was still upset with Sirius and terribly exasperated with Lily and Alice's demands to eat.

She had never felt like eating before a match because she was always felt too excited and energised and wound-up; even 'Mione understood that and _hello, _she played Quidditch for four years! She knew what she could handle.

"What he meant was that, Seekers are generally the ones to be targeted the most by the other team. So, if they starve themselves before a match, they would probably be too tired from dodging, to actually catch the Snitch."

Surprisingly, that came from Frank, who saw their stares and shrugged. He looked at Ria and scowled darkly before turning back to talk with his friend Dylan.

Ria didn't mind it that much. It was just how he showed his _'gratitude'_ to her ever since she convinced him to room with the Marauders again. He had already been pranked a total of 16 times in one week. He had managed to avoid one for the first time today; and that would be the only one for a while, of that Ria was sure.

Surprisingly, his scowl made her feel better. Hey, she _is_ the daughter of a prankster, after all.

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TBC

Yay! My first multi-chap ficlet is up!

Also, in this as well as in my first story I've called Harry as Ria. I'm sure everyone's already guessed it short for Harriah and yes it is. I figured, she'd prefer going as Ria Robins – it rhymes, too – than being called Harry again as the latter would have too many memories attached.

That or someone might have chosen to call her Ria just to be contrary and it stuck…

Review and tell me if you like… pretty please…


	2. Chapter 2 – Bludgers!

**Authors Note: **Some Quidditch action here and a little bit of broomstick statistics. We go into the mind of one Sirius Black and find out why Ria is upset with the Marauders (Sirius). If anyone's interested, I've put a line-up of the players.

**Hufflepuff:****Seeker** - Jason Owen. **Beaters** - Diana Moore & Maxwell Andrews. **Chasers** - Alison Miles, Nate Watson & Quentin Scott. **Keeper** - **Capt.** Amy Hooch.

**Gryffindor:****Seeker** - Harriah Robins. **Beaters** - Sebastian Wood & Sirius Black. **Chasers** - Eric O'Neil, Capt. James Potter & Lucas Hale. **Keeper** - Sophie Jones.

PS: This fic. is not Beta-read, so consider yourselves warned. If you find any mistakes, feel free to inform me and I'll fix it.

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**Chapter 2 – Bludgers!**

**In which Sirius shares his thoughts.**

After much persuasion, Ria agreed to drink some pumpkin juice and took a slice of toast to the Gryffindor Quidditch locker room. She suppressed a sigh as she looked at her Nimbus 1500.

While accepting some allowance was one thing, – one's pride had to take a backseat when stranded in the past - Ria was adamant about refusing such an expensive broom. Finally, Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall had agreed to a compromise with Ria. She would use the Nimbus 1500 only for Gryffindor Quidditch matches and practice. After her N.E.W.T.s it would be left behind at Hogwarts for other Gryffindors and – she was firm about this part – once she earned her keep, she would pay half of its price.

The Nimbus 1500 was the third fastest broom on par with the Comet 220 and only behind Cleansweep 4 – Sirius's broom, good for sudden stops and pauses – and Nimbus 1700 – the one James has; for high speed and control. Still, none of them had anything on her Firebolt or even her trusty Nimbus 2000.

* * *

About fifteen minutes later the rest of the Team joined for a few pre-match pep-talks.

Apparently, James also used the same "We will win or else..." speech, but unlike Wood – who only gave empty threats and let the sentence hang at 'or else' – James finished it off by threatening them to be the Marauders' next prank project!

'Definitely a more effective threat.' Ria thought.

The commentator was a girl from Ravenclaw whose name Ria didn't quite catch. The teams were called to the pitch, where the Captains: James and Amy Hooch (yup, the Flying Instructor had a niece a year older than her Dad; who knew) shook hands.

Soon after, the Bludgers and the Golden Snitch was released. The players were on their brooms and then with a whistle...

"The Quaffle has been released. And their off! Quaffle snatched by Hufflepuff Chaser Miles; tailed by Gryffindor's Chasers Hale and Captain Potter. Miles passes to Chaser Watson; passes to...**_Oh!_** Watson's pass interrupted by Gryffindor's newest Seeker Robins! Watson's dropped the, _wait_…

Chaser Hale seized the Quaffle! Passed to Potter who passes to Chaser O'Neil – who is flying like no tomorrow!

Hufflepuff Beater Moore bats the Bludger at O'Neil – but he dives down and is safe – yes! **SCORE!** A clean shot and Gryffindors earn the first 10 points of the match!"

Ria flew high up and kept track of the game while keeping her eyes peeled for the Snitch. She took a few rounds, scattering and startling the Hufflepuff players. The honey blond Chaser, Nate Watson was her main target as he was rattled easily, even if he never dropped the Quaffle again.

However, the Hufflepuff players weren't dumb and it wasn't long before James told her to stay out because the Beaters – Diana Moore in particular (and if Watson wasn't her boyfriend or in the least her crush, then Ria would eat her hat) – began to target her.

By then, Gryffindor was in the lead 30 to 20, with Hufflepuff currently in possession of the Quaffle and the Snitch was nowhere in sight.

"- Chaser Miles pitches the Quaffle for another sco – **_unbelievable!_** Black has knocked the Quaffle off course with a Bludger! _Amazing!_ But Miles recovers possession of the Quaffle – intercepted by O'Neil.

Passes to Potter who takes off to the other end of the pi – _Whoa!_ Seeker Robins has spotted the Snitch! And she's given the audience here quite the shock when she flew past…A regular speed demon, this one…but with the control problems of her Nimbus 1500, let's hope she can handle the speed!

Meanwhile, it looks like Potter's pitched the Quaffle at Hale. Will he score? Or can Hooch guard the goals? Hale has flung the Quaffle and **SAVE! **Hooch's blocked Quaffle and the Scores are still 30-20 to Gryffindor.

Back to Robins; still after the Snitch and Seeker Owen is right behind her. Up goes the Snitch followed by the two Seek – Potter has dodged the Bludger and he **_scores!_** 40-20 to the Lions!

In other news, the Seekers are racing each other to Snitch and it looks like Owen is trying to shove Robins out of the way –"

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I had to admit, Ria did have a talent for flying; just like Prongs. But damn, she was such a risky player!

Anyways, I hit the Bludgers a few times and knocked that Quaffle off its path. Quite an idea, if I do say so myself. When I heard Julie announce that Ria saw the Snitch, I turned up to watch her for a bit.

Oops! "Sorry, Captain!" I grinned at James who had to dodge a Bludger since I didn't bat it away. Still, he made that score and Gryffindor now has 40 points. _Yeah!_

I saw Ria and Jason Owen streak up behind the Snitch, when from the corner of my eye, I noticed Maxwell Andrews – the other Hufflepuff Beater – strike the Bludger right at Ria. That Wood kid was busy keeping the other Bludger off our Chasers and I knew I wouldn't be able to reach them in time – it was probably going to graze her feet at the most. Still, I gripped my Cleansweep 4 tighter as I flew towards the Bludger.

What happened next nearly made my heart leap into my mouth.

Owen – that git's gonna be the Marauders (especially Moony's) next _special_ project – trying to shove her out of the way, pushed her directly into the path of the speeding Bludger!

"RIA! WATCH OUT FOR THE BLUDGER!" I yelled.

I could see the exact moment when Ria realised the situation. Her grip on her broom changed and she sorta crouched tightly against it. Then, she tried to speed up and tilted as much as she could towards Owen, whose hand was outstretched.

**SMACK! **

**THUD!**

I wince. The Bludger hit Ria twice; first on her left knee and then it streaked up and clipped below her head and whizzed past her shoulder. "That's gonna hurt in the morning," I murmur to myself, wide-eyed.

Bloody hell! Ria could have pulled out, gone the other way with minimum damage. But _no!_ She just _had_ to bash into Owen. _Just_ so she could stop him from getting the Snitch!

Hell! Even James and I weren't that much into Quidditch!

James called a Time-Out and I landed beside him.

"Merlin's Beard! Moony is going to be _so_ pissed!" he said worriedly.

Understatement!" I muttered scanning the crowd for Remus.

Looking at the expression on his face, I could almost imagine him gold-eyed and growling under his breath. If a serene werewolf could ever manage to look angry, worried and upset all at once, Remus would get an award.

As soon as Ria landed, James rushed to her concerned. "Are you alright? Should I call Madame Pomfrey?" he asked tightly.

Ria shook her head, but before she could say anything I blurted out, furiously, "Bloody hell, Robins! Was that _really_ necessary? I mean, I get that the game is important and all; but it's not exactly _'Do or Die'_, you know!"

Argh! I can't believe those words actually came from _me_ of all people! Talk about the pot calling the kettle black! (Ha! Black – black get it?) I bet James would have probably gawked at me, if he didn't agree with me, 100%.

Uh-oh, Ria was scowling. I guessed she was still upset with us (me, mostly) for the prank.

"I'm with Sirius on this one, Ria," James told her. He was looking pale and shaken. "That stunt was almost _suicidal!_ What the hell were you even _thinking_? No wait, don't answer that, 'cause it's obvious you were not! What if you had fallen? You were at least a 70 feet high!" he said angrily.

Whoa! I've always known James to be casual, laidback kind of a bloke, well unless Evans is involved. He hardly ever got this upset. But, then again, things like this don't happen every day.

And then there is Harriah Robins herself. What's the big deal about her, you may ask…

Well, somehow, in the two and a half months she's been at Hogwarts, Ria Robins managed to get most of the First and Sixth Year Gryffindors wrapped around her finger and she doesn't even know it! The First Years bonded with her over the fact that they were new students and she was nice and fun to talk to.

Alice and Lily took her under their wing, so to speak and were always fussing over her to eat and sleep properly; probably because like the four of us, they knew that all was not well in Ria-Land. Frank got along with Ria well enough, though he's been mock glaring and scowling at her for some reason.

James has unofficially adopted her as a baby sister/best female friend. Between their black hair, stupid specs and love for Quidditch, it's not that surprising.

She's pretty cool, I'll give her that; not as much as me though – I still have no idea how she didn't swoon over me when I introduced myself after her Sorting.

And I get a feeling that Ria could be scary; not Lily Evans scary or even McGonagall scary. But the kind of scary a person gets when they are hunted and backed against the wall and they figure they've got nothing else to lose. And after being bloodied and running away to the Potters, I somewhat get how a girl, who's lost everything in a Death Eater raid, might be. It's a damn miracle that she can smile at all.

That's why I might be a bit overprotective of her, and why I pranked that slimy Slytherin girl Ria always talks to – first Lily, now Ria! Argh, why can't they understand! It was just our bad luck that Ria ended up pranked too. And now she won't talk to us outside game plans, making Remus feel miserable 'cause that kind of excludes him.

Speaking of Remus, I'll only say this: Ignorance Of Major Crush Alert! All you have to do is look at his face when they talk; he can't take his eyes off her and he does this weird 'gentle brown eyes' thing, as Alice says and whenever Ria smiles or grins at him, he smiles goofily back at her.

As for Peter, he gets scared of Ria sometimes, then again he also thinks she's the next best thing since Cheese, pranks and the Marauders. I worry about that bloke sometimes. Enough said.

So to recap, she's got quite a number of people on her side and James – and myself – being the Captain would get the brunt of their anger if Ria gets injured. Did I mention a certain werewolf who tended to get growly if the people he cared for (ahem: crush) were threatened?

Right, where were we? Ah, yes; James uncharacteristically scolding Ria.

The other players watched us apprehensively. However, Ria – who had lost her scowl somewhere in the middle of James' rant – kept her poker face on and just shrugged her shoulders. I noticed that her eyes squinted a bit in pain at that.

"Really, Captain," she said firmly, "I'm fine, it's no big deal. I simply over-estimated my broom. That won't happen again. Now, if that is all..." And before James could open his mouth to say anything else, she signalled the end of the Time-Out and confirmed that she would continue playing.

She determinedly walked out of our huddle – limping almost unnoticeably – and mounting her Nimbus, she flew high up in the air.

Still stunned, we all did the same after James gave the others some pointers. James and I glanced at each other for a moment and then we took off.

The match continued.

The Snitch was totally lost, so the main game was happening between the Chasers, Keepers and Beaters. The 'Puffs took advantage of our slightly unsettled state and scored a few lucky shots. Fortunately, it didn't happen too often as Ria was still at the top of her game and it wasn't long before we were too.

Even so, I decided to keep an eye form time to time on our injured, yet too proud Seeker.

The score was 60 – 60 by the time the Snitch made its second appearance. Once again, it was Ria who spotted it first.

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TBC

Aw! Remus is so cute, don't you think so?

Hope you liked that bit from my other story Sorting Of A Time Traveler.

Thanks **ptl4ever419** for your review; glad you liked it! :)

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	3. Chapter 3 - The Snitch!

**Authors Note: **Hey! I'm back, sorry for the delay. Hope you enjoy this chapter; one more left!

PS: This fic. is not Beta-read, so consider yourselves warned. If you find any mistakes, feel free to inform me and I'll fix it.

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**Chapter 3 – The Snitch!**

**In which Ria tries a new move.**

Ria was touched by their concern for her, but really, it was nothing so major! After all, she had taken worse damage than this. 'Actually, compared to what I have gone through in my own timeline, this is possibly one of my tamer matches!' Being used to taking such risks (diving after rememberalls, standing on broomsticks and playing on with a cursed Bludger after her came to mind), there was no way she was going to let the fourth year Hufflepuff Seeker get the Snitch!

'Compared to James; Oliver, and even Angelina, for that matter, were so much more concerned about the match; I wond -...'

Her thoughts were cut-off abruptly as she saw a glimmer of gold and without a second thought she took after it. The rest of the world seemed to vanish once again.

She followed it: left, right, right, up, a loop and then left and right. Weaving after it from between the beams supporting the stands; flying over the heads of the spectators and around the players; barrels, rolls, loops and dives; she did 'em all. Yet, she couldn't catch up with it. For now... Ria was vaguely aware of being followed but it didn't matter to her since he was even further behind.

Never taking her eyes of the Snitch, she soared into the blue sky. It stopped somewhere in mid-air at a great height before streaking to the scarlet stands. By the time Ria levelled her broom and followed it, Owen had caught up. They were a fair few paces behind the Snitch near the Gryffindor stands when suddenly it plummeted to the ground. Ria had to force the handle of her broom down for a dive.

There was a good deal of distance between her and the fluttering ball of gold, not to mention the intervening players and Bludgers that filled the gap. Manoeuvring between the players would slow her down and by the time she'd recover her speed the snitch would be too close to the ground to let her pull out of the dive safely with this model of Nimbus.

'Stupid old brooms and their stupid speed- control ratio. Speed. Speed! What I need now is speed... hmm, I wonder if that'll work...'

Eyes glinting with an idea, Ria adjusted the Nimbus so that she shot straight over the players instead of flying between them.

This made the distance she'd need to cover more, yes; but it let her pick up enough speed to compensate _and _to pull her next stunt.

When she was directly above the Snitch, Ria kicked her legs back and sharply pushed the handle of the broom downwards, streaking down right behind the Snitch. She slid a bit o her broom, but it was nothing she didn't expect. Ria immediately tightened her grip and forced herself to the right, spinning thrice as she slightly raised her body off her Nimbus to bleed off the excess momentum without any compromise.

Ria soon tucked herself against the broom once more, left hand outstretched and green eyes blind to all things except the Snitch. The world around her became a blur of colours, the winds whipped her hair and clothes as she gained speed and sounds turned so mute and yet so loud.

She felt like she was plunging in a tornado and the Snitch was the eye of the storm.

A golden bulls-eye with a green patch around it.

It was awesome! Exhilarating! And most definitely working!

Yes, the Snitch was coming closer and closer (or rather she was) and with a smack it hit the palm of her hand and she quickly closed her fingers around it and brought her hand back to her broom.

Elation fizzed in her chest like Butterbeer even as she worked on slowing her speed. Ria spun once before tugging the handle of the broom with all her might and pulling out of the dive.

'Whew! Another fifteen feet, and I'd have been a huge splat on the ground,' the green eyed sometimes-adrenaline-junkie thought despite her wide grin. Abruptly, she felt her ears pop and almost burst as the raucous sound of applause, whoops, yells and roaring of the crowd broke out and made itself known to her. Ria felt giddy; high on the adrenaline rush and her capture of the Snitch.

"Seeker Robin's caught the Snitch! And an astounding catch if there ever was one. Gryffindor receives 150 points making a total of 210 points against Hufflepuff's 80 points. Well played Hufflepuff but the Lions win the first match of the Season. Congratulations! And what a spectacular victory it was! New moves and tactics promise a very eventful Season this year, folks! This is your commentator Julie Martin, Fifth Year Ravenclaw, signing off!"

Ria had caught the Snitch several times before, yet never this way; and after so much of grief and hardships, this light-hearted and ridiculous happiness bubbled in her for some reason. It was the most happy she felt in months.

She circled the pitch once, twice, reluctant to get off her broom, until she saw Lily and Alice on the pitch. Heart still soaring, she flew down and landed a few steps away and then ran to them. Ria flung herself on Lily hugging her hard and talking or rather babbling and squealing rapidly.

"LILY! Did you see me?! Merlin, that was so amazing – I don't even know why I never tried that move before! The wind and the speed and those spins and-and...and everything! . !" she was grinning so wide that her face felt like it was going to split. She let her go and hugged Alice, who had finally reached the pair, repeating the same thing.

"Ria!" she heard a familiar voice arriving next to her call out. Ria turned to him happily, her mouth frozen in a perpetual grin and she hugged him tightly, talking nineteen to dozen.

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Poor Remus didn't think he had ever been more frightened in his life than when he had seen Ria nearly collide to the ground. When, at last, she landed, he ran fast to make sure that she was really alright.

He most definitely didn't think he would be hugged to an inch of his life, but it didn't matter, she was real and alive. With a sigh of deep relief, he hugged her back, almost desperately, letting her inane babble wash over him soothingly. Finally, she let him go but she kept talking.

Remus managed, with great difficulty, to focus on her saying, "…it was like after my first ever match – except, I didn't swallow and nearly choke it this time – it was like I did something great. I mean it felt great! Being in the air like that was just so-" she never got to finish her sentence since six "Robins!" sounded at once.

It seemed the rest of the team had arrived. Hardly being able to stand still, Ria launched herself at her teammates, congratulating them one by one before they turned and left feeling a bit bemused but also hyper. Apparently, her enthusiasm was contagious. The last two were Sirius and James. Ria had hugged the dog animagus tightly, catching him off guard. He looked surprised before he realised his oxygen supply was being cut-off and he gasped, "Robins, you're...choking me! Can't...breathe!"

She let him go with a sheepish smile, but Remus noted her eyes were still sparkling with joy. She did the same for James and started talking once again.

* * *

At first, James had wanted to yell at her for taking an unnecessary risk..._again _and scaring them silly. But then, he saw how energetic and bubbly she was. Her hands kept moving in wide gestures and she kept hopping slightly as if she felt restless. For a moment, James wondered where she got all her energy from since her breakfast was so meagre. She was certainly more animated than he had ever seen her.

Finally, he decided, what the heck, as long as she's happy and safe.

"Enough Robins," he told her commandingly; that made her stop short. He grinned at her, "If you keep nattering so much how am I supposed to congratulate you? That was one wicked dive! I'm really proud of you Ria!"

Her eyes widened and to his astonishment she hugged him again. This time, he thought he felt her tremble a bit, but he didn't have much time to speculate since she was called by Hooch.

"Ms Robins. Stop dawdling. You sustained an injury to your knee. You better go see the matron. Mr Lupin, please escort her to the Hospital Wing."

Ria nodded with an enthusiastic grin, handing her broom over to James before leaving with Remus to the Infirmary.

* * *

TBC

Alright! Almost finished; just one FLUFFY chapter left!

Thanks you, **Padfootette**, **redbird333** & **mysteryreader6626 **for reviewing :)

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	4. Chapter 4 - Concern And Pride

**Authors Note: **Hooray! Last chapter! And here comes the Fluff!

PS: This fic. is not Beta-read, so consider yourselves warned. If you find any mistakes, feel free to inform me and I'll fix it.

* * *

**Chapter 4 – Concern And Pride**

**In which Remus gets alone time with Ria. *wink***

"You scared me," Remus stated softly.

They were in an empty corridor. Ria was leaning slightly on Remus, her right arm over his shoulder and his right hand gripping hers; the other around her waist to support her as she limped forward. As the adrenaline surge had faded from her system, her injured leg had made its pain known.

"Pardon?" Ria looked at him.

"You scared me – us, when you first got hit by the Bludger and then when you nearly crashed to the ground," Remus repeated. He watched as the small goofy smile she had on her face slide away and promptly felt guilty.

"I-I didn't mean to upset you, it's just that-"

"No, that's not it. I'm sorry, really, to have had frightened you guys like that. I get carried away sometimes. Usually, one of my friends would bring me to my senses. Heck, if 'Mione had seen me pull that stunt, she would have probably yelled at me for being such a reckless prat and nearly giving her a heart attack," Ria chuckled wryly.

Remus looked at her curiously. It was rare for her to talk about her past.

Ria looked at him again with gentle green eyes and smiled warmly. Softly, she said, "Thanks, though, for being concerned about me."

Remus held her a bit closer against him, enjoying her presence. "Why wouldn't I be?" he asked, simply, just as softly.

Ria's smile simply widened.

* * *

Ria sat on the cream-coloured plush carpet, one leg tucked under her and the other pulled up to her chin, staring at the wand she was twirling in her hand.

A little ways off her left, the flames from the fireplace cast a warm glow over the cosy room, with its soothing dark red walls and a skylight window that gave a view of the clear night sky littered with twinkling stars.

The view was fake, of course; it was raining heavily outside, but that didn't deter Ria from asking the Room Of Requirements to recreate the study of her safe-house that she and her friends had stayed at while hunting for the Horcrux.

Well, without Luna's pretty drawings, Neville's cabinet of emergency potions and battle plans, Ron's chess set and Hermione's table hidden by numerous books and scrolls, it looked completely bare. Nevertheless, for once, Ria didn't dwell on those thoughts.

Instead, her mind was occupied by a far more pleasant memory…

_"…__That was one wicked dive! I'm really proud of you Ria!"__James had said, grinning happily at her._

Ria's smile widened as she recalled what her father had said.

Technically, this James, who was her own age was not actually the man who Ria called her Dad; but try as she might, Ria couldn't let go of the fact that she had made him proud of her.

Ria remembered, how proud Uncle Vernon had looked when Dudley had gotten a prize for boxing; and how Aunt Petunia's eyes had gone soft and misty with pride when Dudley had been accepted into Smelting's.

And in her Second Year, Lucius Malfoy had come to watch his son play. Well, yeah Draco had lost the Snitch, but the fact was that his father had turned up while she had no one to take pride in her victory or to just watch her play, had burned in a miserable silence in a corner of her mind.

Out on the pitch, Ria had seen the sincerity and pride in James' face; had heard the genuine joy in his voice. For a small moment, she let herself think that she had hugged her Dad, whom _she__ Harriah Potter_ had made proud. She had felt ecstatic and so accomplished.

She still felt same, actually. It was rather silly but Ria couldn't stop the happiness that bubbled through her and fizzed her entire being. The feeling was overwhelming and Ria raised her wand pointing at the empty space in front of her,

_"__Expecto Patronum."_

White light shot out of her wand a form cantered and galloped about the room before coming to rest in front of her.

Ria offered her hand to the brilliant stag who nuzzled it happily. The stag glowed more brightly then she could ever remember which only made her smile more.

_"__Hello, Prongs."_

* * *

**FJB** (doing a mad victory dance) - "Oh yeah! My first Multi-chapter fic! Woot!"

THANK YOU everyone who stuck with this fic of mine! You're all amazing!

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